Friday, September 14, 2012

History of Bathtubs - Ancient


Taking a plunge in a bathtub is not unique to modern home sapiens. All through out history man has adopted to the need of soaking. 
Bathing throughout history has been associated with two twin concept of hygiene and water. The Minoan civilization of Crete in 2000 BC regarded bathing in terms of spiritual purification and body pleasure. The Palace of Knossos contains the first known bathtub in human history. In 1600 BC Egypt an added concept of medical or therapeutic benefits of bathing has been added to the spiritual and luxurious features of a bath. Egyptian Royal houses during this time contained copper pipes that distributes hot and cold water over the first appearance of shower as shown in the excavation in Tel-el-Amarna. Greece practiced the public practice of bathing which is associated with athletes as the loutron, a 1600 BC bathing facility, forms part of standard Athenian Gymnasium. The Romans of the 2nd century BC followed the Greek tradition so much that communal bathing has formed part of socialization. Each Roman cities was expected to have public spas and baths not only for the ruling classes but for every citizens. 

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Different Types of Bathtub Doors


Every walk in bathtubs have doors. This bathtub configuration differentiates walk in tubs from ordinary bathtubs. Doors in the walk in tubs provides a specific purpose that is easy, safe and comfortable access to the baths. Walk in bathtub doors needs also to be water tight sealed. The guaranteed seal on the doors is not open for compromise otherwise if the door does leak, it will defeat the purpose of safety to which walk in tubs are designed for. The elderly, who is the primary benefactors of these tubs, will be open to the hazard of slippery bathroom flooring due to the water leak.
There are four types of door styles to choose from in a walk in tub. The type of door that will be suitable for you depends on your choice and needs, bathroom space, your physical condition and the degree of security you may want. The types of bathtub doors are the following; doors that swings inward to open, doors that swing outwards to open, sliding doors and upward swinging door.
Outward Swinging Doors
When you open an outward swinging door, you pull the door towards you. It takes up the space in your bathroom rather than go to the bathtub itself. Established healthcare institutions such as hospitals, nursing homes, retirement facilities and the like, uses these tubs with outward-swinging doors. This type of walk in bathtubs are more expensive to manufacture, hence its exorbitant price. Aside from high cost of these type of bathtubs, outward swinging door walk in tubs does not has aesthetic value. They look like medical equipments and may not be suitable for ordinary residential homes. The outward swinging door is made water tight by reinforcing the door itself and strengthening the bathtub shell to which it is hinged. To do this heavy-duty bolts is locked to the frame of the door. Aside from this heavy bars are used to ascertain enough support for the door. The locking mechanism or the lock handles of an outward-swinging walk in tub door requires extra strength and complicated making it Non ADA compliant. ADA guidelines require minimum grip strength and easy to operate controls. Outward swinging doors walk in bathtubs are ugly, expensive and difficult to operate which makes it not advisable for ordinary use. However it has a special function. In case of emergency, the bather can be easily removed in the tub by simply opening the door without draining the water inside. Health institutions love this type of door in their walk in tubs.
Inward-Swinging Doors
When you open an inward swinging door, you push the door towards the inside of the tub. Walk in tubs with this door design is marketed for home resident consumers. Manufacturers for inward swinging walk in tubs also abounds because it is easier to produced and much cheaper. To make the door of this walk in tubs water tight a one piece construction of bathtub frame is required. Aside from that the door itself sealed in itself with the water pressure inside the tub a minimum problem because the one piece construction of the frame can bear the weight of the bathing water and the bather. Because of this, walk in bathtubs can be designed in terms of beauty. Inward Swinging door bathtubs are stylish and classy. The locking mechanism is ergonomic and ADA compliant. It also does not require additional bathroom space since the door opens towards the inner bathtub space. Inward swinging walk in tub doors are popular to ordinary home users because of their aesthetic designs, affordable prices and space saving features. However it has one major disadvantage. The water in the bathtub needs to be drained completely before the door can be open. In times of emergency this situation for an elderly bather can be really dicey.

Slide in Bathtub Doors
To open a slide in walk in tub doors you need to glide the door into wall by means of a door track. The sliding door has minimum space clearance and door can be locked automatically by means of an automatic latch. In times of emergency the door can be open without draining the water inside. This type of walk in tubs are relatively new to the market and few reviews of its safety and security can be readily found. With a moderate price this walk in bathtubs may be the next superstars for less aesthetically inclined elderly bather. Slide in walk in tubs rely on the wall track to function. Hence it is cabinet base and maybe likened to a box crate.

Upward Swinging Bathtub Doors
To open an upward swinging walk in tub door, you need to lift the door upwards and to push the door downwards to close it down. Like the slide in bathtub door, the door will no hamper the legs of the bather. Its door space requirement is also minimal. The door can also be opened without water draining. Its futuristic look may not be well suited to an ordinary residential bathroom and the price is not affordable to the average income elderly consumers.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012


Walk in Tubs is a hallmark of Universal Design in bathroom Products.

What is the Universal Design Concept

The phrase  "Universal design" came from Ronald  L. Mace. He coined the term to express an idea in architecture to  design  buildings, products  and create environment that is functional yet possessing beauty. The  usability of a universal design creation is accessible to virtually anyone, irregardless of  age, ability, or status in life.
The idea behind  Universal Design is the barrier free, an earlier movement along the same line of blending aesthetics with mobility enhancements, adaptive and assistive technology dealing with disability.

Basic Principle

The design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.
  1. Equitable Use
  2. Flexibility
  3. Simple and Intuitive
  4. Perceptible Information
  5. Tolerance for Error
  6. Low Physical Effort
  7. Size and Space for Approach and Use

Examples

  • Entrances without stairs
  • Slip resistance surface
  • Bathtubs with doors, aka, walk in tubs
  • 60" X 60" turning points on hallways
  • Lever handles on doors
  • Product components requiring minimal force operation
  • Large flat panels on light switches
  • Touch sensitive controls
  • Luminous lighting
  • Auditory output redundant with information on visual displays
  • Visual output redundant with information in auditory output
  • Contrast controls on visual output
  • Use of meaningful icons with text labels
  • Clear lines of sight to reduce dependence on sound
  • Volume controls on auditory output
  • Speed controls on auditory output
  • Choice of language on speech output
  • Ramp access in swimming pools
  • Closed captioning on television networks
  • Signs with light-on-dark visual contrast
  • Web pages that provide alternative text to describe images
  • Instruction that presents material both orally and visually
  • Labels on equipment control buttons that is large print
  • A museum that allows visitors to chose to listen to or read descriptions


Exercise for Seniors


Active seniors can benefit from walk in bathtubs. Walkin tubs can come with a spa like whirlpool massage jets and air jets that is best for relaxation as well as hygiene. As part of a healthy regimen, a soak in the pleasure of a bath can help in blood circulation. 
It is also best to take a bath after a full work out.
Here are some exercise for seniors. 
The seesaw

Sit on the floor with your legs out and the soles of your feet touching each other. Grasp each other’s hands or wrists. One of you lean backwards while the other goes forward, but providing enough resistance to keep you from falling all the way back. Then reverse the motion. If one of you has any difficulty supporting the weight of the other, let him or her know so that the person leaning backwards maintains enough muscle control so as not to put too much of a strain on the person doing the holding. This exercise needs to be done slowly, both to prevent injury and also so that you get the most exercise value out of it. In addition to the physical benefit, since the person leaning backwards is dependent on the one holding him or her up, this exercise helps to build intimacy as it gives physical evidence to your faith in one another.

Back to back lifts

This exercise may not be for every couple, definitely not for those with a bad back. And if your weight disparity is too large, it may not work. Just use some common sense before deciding whether or not to try it. Stand back to back and link arms. Taking turns, one of you leans forward, raising the other off the ground to whatever height is not too big a strain. Even if you can’t lift your partner at all, just the effort of trying is good exercise.

As with the seesaw, the person being lifted off the ground will feel a bit nervous. By letting go and trusting their partner, added intimacy will result.

Couple crunches

Both of you lie down on the floor, put your legs straight up into the air, and then slide together so that your butts are up against each other, so that you look like an upside down T. (If you’re naked, don’t let the fact your genitals are touching be too distracting.) Then do crunches (half sit-ups).

How many crunches you can each do will depend on whether or not you normally do crunches. Start off with a low number and slowly work your way up.

Floor cycling

After you finish your crunches, push yourselves apart a few feet, line your feet up against each other, and push against each other using a pedaling motion. Don’t try to do this quickly. Instead work to push against each other so you create resistance and give each other’s leg muscles a workout. Here again, if one of you is much stronger than the other, that person will have to ease up a bit.

Hamstring burners

Exercises that work the backs of the thighs, the hamstring muscles, are hard to find, but not for couples that exercise as a team. Lie down on your stomach while your partner straddles you, facing your feet. Using his or her hands, your partner puts as much pressure on your ankles as needed to make it difficult for you to raise the lower half of your legs. As time goes by and each of you grows stronger, the “pusher” can exert increasing amounts of pressure. Eventually you should be able to do three sets of ten of these burners.
  
Kegel exercises

In 1952, Dr. Arnold Kegel developed a set of exercises to help a woman regain control of her ability to urinate after giving birth by building up her vaginal muscles. After women started using the exercises, they discovered that they helped to increase the sensations they felt during intercourse. Once a woman had built up her vaginal muscles sufficiently, her partner would also gain some new sensations when she tightened those muscles around his penis during intercourse.

The muscles involved are called the pubococcygeus muscles, or more easily pronounced, pelvic floor muscles. To identify them, the next time you urinate, stop the flow. The muscle you use is the muscle you want to exercise. You should begin by squeezing it, then letting it go, doing five repetitions. As it gets stronger, you can hold each squeeze for a longer period of time and add more repetitions. You might begin with a half dozen repetitions and eventually get to twenty-five.

I would advise doing the Kegel exercises twice a day, at least until you’ve strengthened these muscles to their maximum, at which point you can cut down to three times a week, just to keep them in shape. If you do them at the same time every day, like when you get up and before you go to bed, you’ll be more likely not to forget, though it can be fun doing them at random times with the realization that no one around you has any idea that you are exercising this particular set of muscles.

A woman with well-developed pelvic floor muscles will be able to give her husband’s penis a squeeze he should enjoy. These exercises may also help any woman who has problems with incontinence, as that’s why Dr. Kegel developed them in the first place. But Kegel exercises aren’t only for women; men can benefit from doing them too.

A man uses the same exact muscle, which he identifies the same way, by stopping the flow while urinating. By building up this muscle, a man may find he can develop more control over his ability to ejaculate, which can be very helpful to men who suffer from premature ejaculation and their partners who suffer with them from too short episodes of intercourse. So, in both sexes, a prime beneficiary of stronger pelvic floor muscles will be their partner. Given those circumstances, doing these exercises at the same time makes a lot of sense.